High-Stability Single-Ion Clock with $5.5\times10^{-19}$ Systematic Uncertainty
Abstract
We report a single-ion optical atomic clock with fractional frequency uncertainty of and fractional frequency stability of , based on quantum logic spectroscopy of a single Al ion. A co-trapped Mg ion provides sympathetic cooling and quantum logic readout of the Al SP clock transition. A Rabi probe duration of 1 s, enabled by laser stability transfer from a remote cryogenic silicon cavity across a 3.6 km fiber link, results in a threefold reduction in instability compared to previous Al clocks. Systematic uncertainties are lower due to an improved ion trap electrical design, which reduces excess micromotion, and a new vacuum system, which reduces collisional shifts. We also perform a direction-sensitive measurement of the ac magnetic field due to the RF ion trap, eliminating systematic uncertainty due to field orientation.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2504.13071,
title = {High-Stability Single-Ion Clock with $5.5\times10^{-19}$ Systematic Uncertainty},
author = {Mason C. Marshall and Daniel A. Rodriguez Castillo and Willa J. Arthur-Dworschack and Alexander Aeppli and Kyungtae Kim and Dahyeon Lee and William Warfield and Joost Hinrichs and Nicholas V. Nardelli and Tara M. Fortier and Jun Ye and David R. Leibrandt and David B. Hume},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2504.13071},
year = {2025}
}
Comments
5 pages, 4 figures plus supplemental material 5 pages 4 figures